Police Constable Entry Program

About a Policing Career In Merseyside Police

From intelligence operator to armed officer, wherever you see yourself specialising, we’ll help you find your beat. Police Officers are the face and voice in the community – they’re on the ground, speaking to victims, preventing crime and making a real difference. They come from different walks of life but are united by the same goal to keep communities safe.

From Liverpool’s bright lights to Sefton’s sandy beaches, you’ll be serving a population of 1.5 million and covering a geographical area of 647 square kilometres. Being a part of Merseyside Police is a unique experience. You won’t just be building better communities, you’ll be building a career that counts.

We want our people to reflect the communities we serve – people who can bring diversity of experience, people who are willing to protect our streets. It’s not always easy, some days will be tougher than others, but the sense of pride makes it worth every second.

It’s a two‑year programme where you’ll focus on learning the skills needed for the job rather than working towards a qualification. It’s all about developing the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to be confirmed in rank as an operational police officer.

As a student officer you’ll be supported from day one by experienced trainers. You’ll get a good mix of working on the front line and time spent learning the theory. You’ll also get to experience working in different policing teams to boost your experience and give you a chance to apply your learning.

By the time you’ve completed your two‑year probation period demonstrating that you’ve gained and continually used your policing knowledge, skills and behaviours, you’ll be eligible to be confirmed in rank as a police officer.

You’ll be amazed at how many different roles there are in policing. When you’ve finished your training and been confirmed in rank, your first posting will be either in Response and Patrol or Local Policing, Uniform Area Investigations/Protecting Vulnerable People. This will give you a fantastic grounding in the nuts and bolts of policing and is the perfect starting point to help decide what direction you’d like your career in policing to take.

If you aspire to become a Detective, Merseyside Police runs its own internal detective programme (CID AIDES) for substantive uniform officers who want a change in career. Should you apply and be offered a place on our Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) | Merseyside Police and subsequently are successful in the completion of your 2‑year probationary period you would be eligible to request participation onto the CID AIDES programme (how long it will take for your release is dependent upon your strands resource numbers and available detective constable vacancies at the time).

CID AIDES is a 15‑18 month programme formed of various role carousels in our Investigative strand working with existing detectives whilst being supported by our Academy to get you prepared for the National Investigators Exam (NIE) and to undertake the necessary PIP2 courses.

We anticipate a high number of applications for this entry route and may close earlier than the advertised closing date, so if you think this is the role for you, apply today.

Due to Merseyside Police’s recruitment requirements for 2026/2027 and the volume of applications we will receive it may be a while before you receive email correspondence as the Force prioritises entry routes based on earliest start date however, please be rest assured that your application will be reviewed. We ask you to regularly check your emails and respond at your earliest convenience to ensure you have sufficient time to progress towards our intakes.

We require evidence of Level 2 Maths and English Language GCSEs which can be Grade C/4 and above or Level 2 Functional Skills or equivalent. We can only accept qualifications which are equivalent to this level of Maths and English specifically and cannot accept qualifications in other subjects or degrees. If your qualifications were obtained abroad, a UK ENIC translation will be required to confirm equivalency.

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